After qualifying the Miller Lite/Ameriquest dragster with a 4.511-second
elapsed time, the two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion matched up against No.
10 qualifier Scott Kalitta in the opening round of Top Fuel eliminations.
Dixon got the jump at the start to race to the early lead before
Kalitta's rail powered around to score the narrow victory. The Miller
Lite dragster clocked a run of 4.578 at 326.71, while Kalitta posted a
run of 4.541 at 327.35. It marks the first time since the Sonoma, Calif.
event on July 31 that the Miller Lite/Lucas Oil team did not advance to
at least the semifinals.

"At this point, I'm disappointed that we lost the round," Dixon said.
"I think that from what I've gathered we didn't adjust enough for the
air conditions and our car slowed down. We ran a 4.57 and a 4.56 would
have won the round."

Dixon remains second in the NHRA Top Fuel standings. The next NHRA
POWERade Drag Racing Series event is the 20th annual O'Reilly Fall
Nationals, Oct. 6-9, at Texas Motorplex near Dallas. The race was
rescheduled in mid-September due to Hurricane Rita. Dixon won the Dallas
event in 2001.